Former Standard Telephone Company employees and their families gathered Saturday, Aug. 8, to renew friendships, remember former colleagues and celebrate a company whose influence continues more than a quarter-century after its sale.
Approximately 60 people attended the 20th Standard Telephone Company Reunion at Habersham Electric Membership Corp. The gathering included a catered meal, door prizes, a memorial presentation and plenty of opportunities to revisit memories from their years together.
Standing L/R: Jerri Bradford, Beverly Pritchett, Sue Nold, Cariedda Thompson, Linda Wilbanks, Peggy Nolan, Jimmy Thompson, Sylvia Poole, Terrell Simmons, Marsha Rakes, Sandy Watson, Marc Williams, Walter Moore, Angela Brooks, Terri Chase, Bryant Chitwood, Jan Hames, Carol Carson, Jean Kendall, Patti Shipp, Ingrid Ada, Alan White, Lisa McClure, Ginger Armour, Janna Manning, Joan Williams, David Power, Sally Welborn, Dennis Ledford (Photo courtesy of the STC Reunion Committee)
Standard Telephone was chartered in 1904 by M. C. York. In 1939, Mr. H. M. Stewart purchased the company from Mr. York. The company remained under the ownership and operation of the Stewart and Swanson families for the next 60 years until its sale to Alltel Corp. in 1999.
The company may have changed hands, but the friendships formed there endured. Former employees and their families have continued meeting periodically to remember the company, share stories and honor colleagues who have died.
“It was so wonderful,” former employee Hellon Skelton said of this year’s reunion. “I had the best time.”
Skelton began working for Standard Telephone around 1983 and remained with the company for approximately 20 years. She said the annual gathering is particularly meaningful because some former co-workers see one another only once a year.
A More Accessible Gathering Place
The reunions were traditionally held at Unicoi State Park, which organizers considered a central location for employees coming from across the company’s service area.
As attendees have grown older, however, the reunion committee began looking for an indoor location that would be easier for everyone to navigate.
“I think just the age of our group has grown,” reunion committee member Janna Manning said. “So we have tried moving it indoors a little bit better for them—more accessible.”
Habersham EMC provided protection from the summer heat and the possibility of rain while making the gathering more convenient for older attendees.
“It’s the perfect spot for us,” Skelton said.
Food Factory catered the meal, and former employees and local businesses donated an assortment of door prizes. Skelton was among the winners, taking home a gift certificate for two dinners at The Smith House in Dahlonega.
Remembering Those Who Have Died
The celebration also carried moments of sadness.
A memorial video honored former employees who have died, including colleagues lost since the previous gathering. For Skelton, remembering those employees is a deeply personal part of the reunion.
“We’ve lost a lot of people that we love,” she said.
Those memories reflect why the reunion represents more than nostalgia. It preserves connections among people who worked together, served their communities together and supported one another through significant moments in their lives.
The reunion is organized annually by the STC Reunion Committee.
Scholarship Program Will Continue
During this year’s gathering, the committee announced that it will assume responsibility for a scholarship program established by members of Standard Telephone’s H.M. Stewart Sr. Pioneer Club.
Manning said responsibility for the scholarship fund was transferred to the reunion committee in December. The committee is now preparing to make the program available to a new generation of Standard Telephone families.
“We’re definitely really excited about that,” Manning said. “We hope to give out two scholarships starting in this school year.”
The program’s history dates to at least 1984, when its first known scholarship was awarded to Habersham Central student Ronnie Franklin. The original program sought to assist students throughout Standard Telephone’s service area.
The reunion committee plans to award two $1,000 scholarships in 2027 and continue making awards for the next several years or until the remaining scholarship funds are depleted.
Applicants must be descendants of former employees of Standard Telephone Company or one of its subsidiaries. The scholarships may be used for undergraduate degree programs or technical college programs.
To help ensure an impartial selection, identifying information will be removed from applications before committee members review them.
“They’ll mail the applications to me, and I’ll be removing names and any identifying marks,” Manning explained.
Committee members will review numbered applications, and scholarship payments will be made directly to the educational institutions attended by the recipients.
Applications for the 2027 scholarships may be requested by emailing standardtelephonereunion@yahoo.com. Completed applications must be mailed to the address provided on the application by Feb. 1, 2027.
Recipients are expected to be announced in spring 2027.
By continuing the scholarship, the reunion committee hopes to extend Standard Telephone’s legacy to another generation—even as its former employees continue preserving the friendships and memories they built together.
ephone’s service area.
The reunion committee plans to award two $1,000 scholarships in 2027 and continue making awards for the next several years or until the remaining scholarship funds are depleted.
Applicants must be descendants of former employees of Standard Telephone Company or one of its subsidiaries. The scholarships may be used for undergraduate degree programs or technical college programs.
To help ensure an impartial selection, identifying information will be removed from applications before committee members review them. Recipients will be selected using numbered applications, and scholarship payments will be made directly to the educational institutions they attend.
Applications for the 2027 scholarships may be requested by emailing standardtelephonereunion@yahoo.com. Completed applications must be mailed to the address provided on the application by Feb. 1, 2027.
Recipients are expected to be announced in spring 2027.
By continuing the scholarship, the reunion committee hopes to extend Standard Telephone’s legacy to another generation—even as its former employees continue preserving the friendships and memories they built together.
